When water rises, help is needed

EDITORIAL

Flooding woes dominated the front page of the American News this week.

&middotAn A-frame home swallowed up by Blue Dog Lake.

&middotWaubay surrounded by water on three sides, including the aggressively expanding Bitter Lake to the south.

&middotCounty Road 9 - the last road in and out of Claremont - flooded under more than 13 inches of water.

&middotArea farmers left at a standstill, waiting for the land to dry before beginning spring planting.

Our hearts go out to all of those affected by flooding. No one could have predicted how devastating this water would be.

Experts will say that once an area has flooded, it is much more susceptible to flooding in the future. Water is a powerful force, and once it makes a groove or finds a place to flow, it will exploit it year after year.

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That knowledge doesn't make things any easier for residents, as it seems new areas are the victims of flooding every year.

Claremont residents, for instance, are experiencing the worst flooding in town history. As village board chairman Bob Thompson told reporter Elissa Dickey: "It's scary (driving) through there. ... I lay awake at night worrying about the town and the whole area."

Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who muddled through flooded 9 Tuesday to view the Claremont devastation firsthand, expects a disaster declaration to be coming. Meanwhile, Brown County officials are working to raise County Road 9, where it curves into Claremont from the west, to give residents one safe passage in and out of town.

Now is not the time to point fingers, as some commenters on our own website have done. No one asks for this kind of chaos, even by living near a body of water. You should be prepared, of course, but this flooding is extraordinary.

We hope friends and neighbors will be giving during this time, and understanding about the needs of others. The flooding is bad now, but the effects will linger months after the water has subsided. Crops will be late, having a significant effect on our local economy. Roads will again need to be repaired, and money will go to those causes. Many will be lucky if their homes are livable after all of this, and will need to lean on social services for support.

Residents can't stop the water from flowing, but we can put a hand out for help when the water rises.